as in tale
a traditional description of imaginary events circulated orally among a people
West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling
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Recent Examples of folktale
Briar Rose is the name of Sleeping Beauty in the Brothers Grimm version of the folktale, and in the Disney version, the character Aurora is referred to as Briar Rose as a child.
—
Lia Beck, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Julia, who studied music and theater at Harvard, is currently developing a musical based on the Korean folktale of Simcheong, a filial daughter who sacrifices herself for her blind father.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
The phrase derives from a folktale about a railroad worker named John Henry who was said to have outperformed a mechanical steam drill and then died of exhaustion.
—Leslie Jamison, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The genre has a long, diverse history According to the Library of Congress, the roots of country music can be traced back to the 17th century when European immigrants and enslaved Africans brought their folktales, folk songs, instruments, and musical traditions to North America.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Lia Beck, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Julia, who studied music and theater at Harvard, is currently developing a musical based on the Korean folktale of Simcheong, a filial daughter who sacrifices herself for her blind father.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
The phrase derives from a folktale about a railroad worker named John Henry who was said to have outperformed a mechanical steam drill and then died of exhaustion.
—Leslie Jamison, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The genre has a long, diverse history According to the Library of Congress, the roots of country music can be traced back to the 17th century when European immigrants and enslaved Africans brought their folktales, folk songs, instruments, and musical traditions to North America.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktale
Noun
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The tale is pilfered from the Aeneid, but Virgil would blench to see the curtain rise on Jupiter, dandling Ganymede, a beautiful boy, upon his knee.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet imagined the relationship between the Bard and his spouse as an intimate tale of lust, compromise, joy, resentment, support, and sorrow.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To celebrate its big anniversary, a special event will be held in Miami, Florida, from January 29 - February 1, featuring none other than legends Sir Roger Daltrey and Simon Townshend, brother of Pete, both of The Who.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Boxers from all over the world have grown up dreaming of winning the belts that legends of the sport once had wrapped around their waists.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement Then, in February, after an early version of the site was ready, a story about Shield Seniors and Tejasvi appeared in the Dallas Observer, bringing her to the attention of the people at AARP.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Cortège Out on the cricket fields at The Los Angeles Equestrian Center, an experiential open-air event is bringing together dance, sound, light, puppetry, costume, myth, and robotic canines.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The myth of Chinese tunnels has circulated for more than a century.—
Beth Lew-Williams,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The barebones campaign website of Brad Gaines touts his history as a football player in high school and at Vanderbilt University.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Doctors struggle to access complete patient histories, researchers spend months cleaning inconsistent datasets, and hospitals face spiraling costs just to keep outdated systems running.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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What’s fall reading without a little hockey romance?—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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The movie, which premiered at TIFF, stars Dinklage as store manager Mitch and Kirsten Dunst as Leigh, a Toys ‘R’ Us employee who develops a romance with the fugitive.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Folktale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktale. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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